Levy County E911 announced Monday that they have implemented Smart911 to enhance delivery of 9-1-1 emergency services for area citizens.

When 9-1-1 receives a call, only a phone number and minimal levels of location data are displayed for the 911 call operator. With Smart911, citizens create a safety profile online that has additional data about themselves and family members which is automatically displayed to 9-1-1 call-taker during emergency calls. The result is far greater emergency response effectiveness and saved lives.

"Having more information is an immeasurable benefit to emergency responders and we encourage citizens to create a Smart911 Safety Profile," said a Levy County Sheriff's Office spokesman. "The profile can detail medical conditions and disabilities that help dispatchers understand why a caller might be uncommunicative, expediting and supporting EMT response. They can let fire crews know not only how many residents are at a home, but locations of bedrooms. Police can be alerted to potential threats and photos can be available to facilitate the search for a missing child. In an emergency, more information means greater effectiveness, saving invaluable time and lives."

Smart911 is a nation-wide service that is entirely private and secure. The service is provided at no cost and citizens can create a Safety Profile at www.Smart911.com, entering vital data they want made available on themselves and family members, a residence, even pets.

This can include data on medical conditions, disabilities and/or special needs, children's photos, home addresses of cellphone callers, floor plans and other pertinent information. Smart911 delivers this information automatically to 911 center staff, who then enable responders to be more effective because they have access to critical health and logistics information before arriving at the scene of an emergency.